


The Wrong Choice

by capnvanillawithsprinkles



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Not a clue what to tell, Not your normal magic mirrors, Original Characters - Freeform, PTSD, dissolution of a marriage, surviving an infant's death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:38:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capnvanillawithsprinkles/pseuds/capnvanillawithsprinkles
Summary: Henry has grown up, found his love and left. Storbybrooke is safe. Emma thought she was happy with Killian until she becomes pregnant. Then, her life unravels. His search for his child's birthright and the adventure's aftermath launches Emma into dark introspection.Regina and Emma have a brief affair upon her return home until a drunken night when the wrong words fall from the Queen's lips. Will the women find their way back to each other?The story unfolds in a non-linear format. Flashbacks are in italics. A spiraling to the end CS, SQ is endgame. PS. I rather hate Killian so please do not expect me to play nice. Thanks.





	1. Regrets, I Have a Few

**Author's Note:**

> I promise to finish SS Storybrooke. It only has a few chapters to go, but I wanted to go ahead and put the first chapter of this one up. I am not sure when or how often I will update this one. But, as the story keeps invading my dreams I am sure it will get finished.

The wind whipped her long curls tempestuously against her sunburned cheeks. The surrounding sky and water blended in a murky gun-metal gray. The sensuous rise and fall and rolling thunder called to her. Surfing and the bohemian lifestyle surrounding it provided a place to hang, hide and blend in during her early post-prison years in California. That time in her life provided only a few good memories, but learning to ride the waves had spoken to her soul like nothing else. Her probation officer had suggested it. One of the surfers taught her to bounty hunt. Like it or not, that part of her life left a lasting impact.

 

“Don’t even think about it, Swan,”  a grey-haired surfer grumbled. “The storm pushing in is making it too dangerous. Trying that would be suicide.” Most of the last two weeks the two of them took turns hopping on the largest of the rollers coming in, yet today he balked at the size. Only the craziest surf the Banzai Pipeline which is why today, no one else roamed the beach.

 

“Death by wave isn’t a bad thing, Ben.” She mumbled the words too quiet for him to hear. Her dark thoughts pushed to surface the last time someone understood her life’s trajectory.

 

**_The sheets rustled behind her; the mayor wrestled the sheets in her sleep. Regina’s naked form glowed in the half-light of early morning. Her beauty made Emma’s heart ache; Emma wished she had chosen differently. On the boat back from Neverland she, Regina and Henry gathered at the railing to watch the sunset. The brunette’s hand tentatively brushed hers in an invitation to intertwine their fingers--if only she gave them a chance. Instead, she pleased her mother with the arrogant man guiding the ship. Hook’s redemption thrilled Snow._ **

**_Turning to look over her shoulder, she drank in the resting mayor in all of her naked glory. A sad smile crossed the savior’s features. She opened the bedside drawer and pulled out the remaining photo from her marriage. She held the frame against her chest while tears cascaded down her cheeks._ **

 

**_“Come back to bed, my love.” Regina’s raspy voice pulled the blonde from her spiraling thoughts._ **

 

**_The former queen pushed her fatigued body up on an elbow; her brow creased with worry and a hint of jealousy._ **

 

**_“What do you have there?”_ **

 

**_Emma pulled back. She knew Regina wouldn’t understand._ **

 

**_Purple smoke furled at her chest; Regina clutched the frame in her hands. Unlike Emma, her finger’s didn’t caress the clear plastic frame as if it held a treasure--she clasped at it as if she held a snake._ **

 

**_With barely a glance at the offending item, she tossed it into the open drawer. “You said he left you and that you thought you were over him. If I mean so much to you, why are you here thinking of him rather than curled around me asleep?”_ **

 

**_Emma swallowed her tears as best she could, but failed to speak._ **

 

**_“I am no one’s second choice.” Her melancholy tone forced Emma’s eyes to meet hers._ **

 

**_“You do. You are more to me than he ever was.”_ **

 

**_“I sincerely doubt that, savior.” A plume of purple smoke left an empty bed and a battered heart._ **

 

She ignored Ben’s words. She waited him out. He grabbed his board from the sand and walked away. Since her arrival on Oahu two months ago, Emma had chosen to spend more time with her demons on the waves than with other people; Ben was an exception. ‘Maybe Regina is right. I drag everyone around me down.’

 

She yanked her sweatshirt off, grabbed her board and waved off her natural fears. No others dared the surf as the strength of the waves had increased. She scanned the grayed blue cresting to white in the distance; it had to be larger than a double overhead. It dwarfed those she rode only yesterday. Once the water depth allowed the board to float, she jumped on and began to paddle out beyond the breakers.

 

+++

 

Not for the first time, Regina tossed her cell phone onto her desk exasperated and wishing for her to answer. Since the day Emma left Storybrooke since the former Queen had uttered those cruel words at Henry’s going away party, the blonde’s cell went unanswered. Frustrated, saddened and with a hint of self-loathing, she touched her magic mirror and allowed the surface to ripple. In seconds a storm filled sky spread across a vast blue bay with horrifyingly large waves. The brunette stared in horror at the blonde figure diving into the dangerous seas with a surfboard. Then, paddling out to what looked like a twenty-foot high wave.

 

“No. Emma, please don’t do this.” She shouted hopelessly at the silvered piece of glass. Her eyes watered, but she refused to turn away from the impending tragedy. She held her breath as strong legs pushed up from the longboard and arms spread to the side balancing precariously as she shot across the heaving surface fingers trailing through the wall of water stretching far above her head. For a few seconds, Emma’s face brightened in contentment and happiness at the silken beauty created by flying across the glassy surface, but the sea changed its texture. Pale pink lips grimaced when the wave crested. In a bold move, she twisted and careened the board and her body up and out of the trough. Water droplets and hair swung outward in a liquid halo. The storm surge shifted and churned; her feet lost their purchase; the wave broke tossing the blonde in the maelstrom of water quickly swallowing woman and board whole.

 

The Queen’s heart stopped; dread flooded her bones as it had that morning months ago when she realized her love had left. If only she hadn’t said those words. A wave of regret from that happy gathering brought memories of that night.

 

**_“To Henry.” Everyone held their drinks aloft. The man and his blushing bride waved at his family one last time while they stepped through the portal._ **

 

**_Emma brushed her fingers across the small of the Queen’s back. “Hey.” She handed her secret lover a glass of wine before whispering in her ear. “Maybe next year, it will be us.”_ **

 

**_Clouds formed in chocolate eyes as she stepped back. “You can’t be serious. You haven’t let the pirate’s memory go. What was it you held so tightly to your chest yesterday? Most days you don’t even smile until I walk in the room. When was the last time you didn’t think of him for a whole week, day, hour, possibly minute? When was the last time you did something for fun, something for you?” her voice rose a little louder than the situation allowed. Snow and David turned their heads to watch the heated discussion on the far side of the room._ **

 

**_“I do you, don’t I? That should count for something. You are a lot of fun, especially when you are writhing beneath me.” A cheeky grin appeared on the blonde’s face, but her eyes didn’t smile or twinkle. The deep-seated pain Killian left behind burned fiercely in the darkened pupils._ **

 

**_The mayor huffed, “Please. We fell in bed the first time because I was sick of you wasting away snuggling in his old pirate jacket.  The old saying that tequila makes her take her clothes off worked in my favor. He left, and you shattered. You can’t imagine how stunned I was that you wanted to repeat our one night stand over and over again.”_ **

 

**_Emma’s lips turned downward. “I didn’t hear you complaining. And, you know we were always more than that.”_ **

 

**_“We can become something more when you finally let go of your desperation. He left. It’s over. You are better for it.” Though the words stung, the brunette read the determination in the emerald eyes; Emma kept pushing to make their relationship public. Yet, Regina still worried that Emma’s lingering depression would twist their love into loathing over time. Her heart couldn’t take it if the blonde abandoned her too._ **

 

**_“You know nothing about what happened with Killian.” The blonde’s pale lips formed a hard line. “I need another beer.” Dismissing herself from their conversation, she pushed through the revelers to escape the penetrating gaze of the mayor._ **

 

**_Regina’s spiked heels clicked her retreat; the stoic mask in place prevented anyone from seeing self-recrimination echoing in her mind. Regina spent the next hour or two drinking without eating and stewing on the blonde’s words. With a lot of liquid courage and a belly full of fear and doubt._ **

 

**_Merida, Ruby, Dorothy, and Regina laughed and drank teasing their friends and relatives alike. The group got louder and ruder with every round in lighthearted fun._ **

 

**_Dorothy watched the couples on the dance floor pointing to where Lily wrapped her lithe body around her latest lover. “Does she even bother learning their names before she tosses them aside?”_ **

 

**_Regina shook her head. “Who knows? Her mother certainly doesn’t wager to guess that’s for sure. At least she has a life.” Her eyes landed on emerald green eyes across the room for a moment then flicked away._ **

 

**_“Did you see David and Snow dancing? I swear she couldn’t find the rhythm if it flowed through her bloodstream.” Ruby giggled leaning on her wife. Dorothy cackled in response._ **

 

**_“I tried to teach her.” She sighed dramatically, the curse of teaching the insolent girl obvious to all. “Even after years of training, Snow is incapable of finding a beat.”_ **

 

**_Ruby’s mischievous eyes trailed across the room and then back to Regina. “Thank God it isn’t in the gene code; Emma’s got moves. You know blondie over their looks like she would love to be holding you that close.”_ **

 

**_Regina rolled her eyes and turned her back to the dance floor. “I think not. Emma’s too morose and dull to dance. Killian left and took her will to live with him. Don’t let those princess curls fool you. Her heart is filled with lead.”_ **

 

**_The Queen heard the beer bottle crash to the floor less than a foot behind her. Drunk, but still coordinated, she spun around to see Emma’s back rushing across the room. Regina gulped; Emma had heard every word. Although she believed the sentiment true, an instantaneous sorrow bloomed in her chest. She ached for Emma to love her with the same devotion she felt. Emma relegated her to the number two position, stand-in, the replacement._ **

 

**_When Regina woke the following morning, a void resided in her chest. Storybrooke felt different. It lacked something. On any given morning magic rolled into her lungs with every breath; the number of magical beings in town left telltale signs in the air. However, that morning, only the barest hints remained. She inhaled and cataloged that two of their number had left the border. Mal used a magic bean to escape the mundane world frequently, but where was her savior?_ **

 

++++

 

Water pulled and pushed against her gyrating her body; her hair undulated in the constant motion of the wave. Opening her eyes, she could not determine where to find the surface. Kicking viciously, her lungs burned. In her mind’s eye, she saw terrified coffee irises flying wide from half the world away. More days than not, she could feel the woman close like a ghost only two paces away. She missed the woman to the depths of her being. She needed her strong arms and kind words, her love and security. Leaving Storybrooke made Emma realize how much she had relied on Regina for months. She hadn’t been fair to her lover. If she found the surface, she would do her damnedest to leave the pain in the past where it belonged.

 

A surge wrapped around her legs expelling her from the deep. She punched through the churning surface. Sickly yellow light and typhoon winds greeted her.  Her board bobbed a few feet away. Using the little strength remaining, she swam the short distance and flung her body across it. Fierce waves battered them to shore, her and her broken board.

 

Minutes or hours later, her knees dug into the sandy shoreline. She crawled the rest of the way onto the beach sacrificing the torn body of her longboard to Poseidon’s mercy.

 

Her eyes slammed closed.

 

**_Long nails tickled her scalp; warm lips left a trail of lipstick from the dimples in her lower back to her shoulder blades. Emma hummed, waking happily for a change._ **

 

**_“Ah, and the hero wakens. Welcome back, sleepyhead.” The mayor purred in her ear. “My skills may be rusty, but you don’t seem to find me lacking.”_ **

 

**_“Not in the least, madam mayor.” A cheeky grin graced pale pink lips. “Wow. If I had known this is what I was missing…” She rolled to her side bringing them nose to nose._ **

 

**_Regina caressed her face outlining the surface with the tip of a finger. “I’ve missed you. We managed to stay friends for such a long time, but then you evaporated from my life. Once Henry went adventuring, it was like you disappeared from me.”_ **

 

**_Plump lips pressed against her forehead. Emma squeezed her eyes shut lost in the moment. “What happened?”_ **

 

**_Watery eyes blinked open. “Nothing. We drifted apart.”_ **

 

**_Emma never understood how Regina read the lie but never called her out for it. “Should I dare hope that you intend on making it up to me?”_ **

 

**_Without answering the blonde fisted dark strands pulling their bodies together._ **

 

High tide. The waves licked her toes.

 

“Swan, what the hell were you thinking?”

 

Blinking her eyes open, the sun peeked through the heavy clouds, but the wind, rain and swelling waves had lost their fury. Emma pushed up onto her knees from the spot where fatigue had consumed her consciousness.

 

“What time is it?”

 

Ben shook his head. “I left here three hours ago. I wanted to see if you were up for beer and pizza. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t find your jeep at home.” Though she felt his disappointment, he didn’t force the issue.

 

Her eyes widened. “Well, shit. I must have passed out after.”

 

He kicked a piece of white and red painted wood several feet from her. “After you were fucking crazy. It looks like your board paid your life-debt for you.” He reached his hand out to help her up. They clasped each other’s wrist as he pulled her to her feet.

 

“You look like you need to talk.” She said eyeing his bent shoulders. Although he was only a few years older, today it could have been more than a decade.

 

“You look like you need a shower,” He grouched back at her. Then, his shoulders slumped. At that moment he reminded her of a teenaged Henry, sulky, pouty and overly emotional about things everyone experiences at one point or another. “Yeah. I do. I don’t have people. The ex-wife is remarried and my son…” He let the words stop rather than elaborate. “I need another lost soul to listen. You seem broken like me. And, you don’t expect anything. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.” He shook his head. “Most of the other women that come and go from here are looking for a husband. By the third conversation, they hear wedding bells.” He huffed. “It’s ridiculous.  I don’t even want a lover. But, I could use a friend today.”

 

++++

 

Hours later, Emma’s jaw dropped as she stared at her semi-friend. “How bad is it?” Her voice strained.

 

“It’s inoperable. I have a few months” His fingers spun the umbrella from his fruity cocktail. So, what do I do? I neglected my family to the point that my legal career alienated them. My son won’t return my calls or come for a visit. Karen moved on with my ex-business partner. He chose her rather than success.” His matter of fact tone buried his pain; Emma felt it dripping from his pores.

 

She signaled the bartender for more drinks before facing him again. “If you get in touch with them I am sure they will make the time.” She held back more. She’d rather let the rest of her thoughts come out when they should.

 

He shook his head. “She’s happy. He’s almost grown, and I had almost nothing to do with raising him even when I could have. Building my business had been everything. I got lost in it--the things everyone expected of me.”

 

The blonde nodded her understanding. “I get that probably more than I should.” She pushed back from the table to give her legs room to prop in the chair across from her. She put her hands on her head and stretched her back popping several vertebrae. “So, are you going to let yourself waste away or what?”

 

He laughed. “I was thinking about seeing places I always said I’d go.”

 

Emma sipped on her beer nodding while letting her mind wander to her married life. She and Killian traveled many lands, but her own still remained out of reach.

 

He paused his eyes searching her face. “What do you know about sailboats?”

 

“Ha.” She threw her head back and laughed. “If I said my ex-husband was an old-school pirate it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch. Why do you ask?”

 

He shrugged and then shook his head before beginning again. “There these guys that are in my cancer support group. None of us are going to make it; none of us see the point in chemo. It will only buy us a few more miserable months. I choose to go out living rather than existing.”

 

Emma dropped her pizza slice onto her plate. “I’m not sick. So, why are you talking to me about the trip?”

 

He leaned in closer. His piercing grey eyes making her feel naked, her brokenness on display. “I bet today’s stunt wasn’t the first time you tried to die, was it?”

 

She picked at the peeling skin around her fingers. Her silence agreeing with assumption.

 

“I would rather you remember what life has to offer. Besides, I don’t want to die alone. Someone is going to have to call Karen and Michael and give them the news.”

 

Emma nodded. “It won’t be the first time I sacrificed my happiness for someone else.”

 

“You do know you are a long way from happy.”

 

A wry smile crossed her lips as she emptied her beer.

 

_“_ **_Ah, my wife, my first-mate, how are you this fair morning?” Hook’s lascivious grin rolled her stomach some days, like now._ **

 

**_She finished pulling her hair into a sloppy ponytail and stepped out onto the deck in pants and shirt, but leaving the boots in their shared cabin. “I brought you a coffee.” She held out the cup. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” She laid a protective hand over her middle as she looked over the side toward the ring of islands._ **

 

**_“Mu, it’s a wondrous land that I need to share with you before we spend all our time sailing the seas of your world.”_ **

 

**_She side eyed him. “Our world.”_ **

 

**_“No. Yours. I share it with you, but, love, it isn’t my world. As I see it, a world where magic doesn’t exist limits our possibilities. Love, I hate how weak it makes me feel. However, it opens windows and doors no one even dreamt of in your world.”_ **

 

**_She nodded silently and sipped her tea. The ship rolled beneath her feet making the green tinge to her skin resurface. Suddenly, she wretched over the side while he clutched her hair. “Aye, my love, I guess my son is complaining about breakfast again.”_ **

 

**_She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You don’t know. It could be a girl.”_ **

 

**_Killian’s eyes danced. “Aye, it could. But, I’m having a son. A strong, strapping land that will feel the wanderlust down to his very bones.” Killian stepped away and let the wind whip his hair. Exhilaration showed on his face. “My son and I will be the terror of the seas.”_ **

 

**_Green eyes narrowed as an unhappy thought tore through her. “What about me? Don’t I get to raise another good son like Henry? I didn’t realize he was a disappointment to you.”_ **

 

**_Her husband’s smirk appeared. She hadn’t seen that angry, evil taint to it in years. “Aye, the lad turned out better after I appeared. But, before I came into his life, that boy spent too much time with his nose stuck in a book. I’m not having that.”_ **

 

**_Emma’s smile shrank with those words. “Regina raised a perfect son. Whether he met a pirate’s standards or not, Henry was a great kid.” Her pulse raised. She had chosen wrong; he wanted adventure. She longed for the comfort of home. She missed Regina. She missed her parents. She missed family dinners with all of them enjoying an evening together. She missed dragging Grumpy to the drunk tank and chasing Pongo across town._ **

 

**_Standing on the deck watching him steer them into the whirlpool to another world, Emma regretted more than she could articulate._ **

 

**++++**

 

A month later, Emma stepped onto the deck of a large cruising sailboat. The grin on her face hid the pain gnawing in her gut. Ben waved to her from the cabin’s entrance.

 

“Come on in. We set  sail as soon as Dorian arrives.” He brushed his hair back with his hand.

 

The blonde spared one more glance at dry land. Part of her wanted nothing to do with the sea; another hoped Davy Jones’ locker would claim her too.


	2. Birthright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's voyage has started. We learn hints as to what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is semi-canon. I will admit that Poseidon and a few others may have different stories here. I quit watching around the Dark Swan arc. The poor writing decisions killed my enjoyment.

**_“No, Killian.”  She struggled against him as his hands pinned her to the table._ **

 

**_“Are you sure that you want to wager this?” The disembodied voice raised the hair on her arms._ **

 

**_“Yes! This is for my son.”_ **

 

**_“NO!” She screamed her throat raw._ **

 

She pushed with all her might arching her back and screaming. Her eyes flew open as did the cabin door. 

 

“She’s okay,” Takeshi shouted down the hallway. He muttered about ridiculous females under his breath when he sauntered out of the doorway. Some of the crew had not wanted any women on board. Ben never clarified which complained, but she had no doubt where that one stood.

 

in the darkened room, Emma strained to turn pants into breaths.  “It’s over. He can’t do it again. He’s dead.” She chanted to herself repeatedly as she squeezed her eyes shut; she waited for her blood to quit rushing through her veins. Her pulse pounded in her temples as she regained her bearings. She slid from her bunk without effort and prepared to leave her shared cabin. Fortunately, Dorian, slept at night while she attempted to sleep during the day. Tugging on her flannel lined jeans, shirt, and sweatshirt, she sought out her first meal and coffee. Glancing out the window, she noticed the sun dipping low on the horizon.

 

Not for the first time, she wished to speak to Regina, to feel safe in her arms. She longed to know how the woman was, but Emma refused to make contact with her until the past hurt less. As Ben kept telling her, ‘You can’t move forward until you quit looking behind you.’

  
  


+++++

 

“Have a good night, madam mayor,” Dorothy and Ruby chorused from the back of the diner. 

 

She responded weakly with a pinched smile and wave as she grabbed her to-go order and headed for the door. Months had passed since she allowed herself to walk these steps. A niggling of guilt teased at the back of her throat. Since the night of the party, she had chosen not to set foot in the diner. Try as she might, she could not blame the words that came out of her mouth on the alcohol--tension and need fueled her honesty. And, maybe a little bit of pain. Emma ’s inability to leave the past with the pirate behind prevented them from moving forward, from the Queen proclaiming her true love in public. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she carried her food and drink to the end of the pier. She dropped onto the bench, opened her salad and began to eat as the sunset across the harbor.

 

She smelled the dragon’s power before she noticed the disruption near her. Magic rippled in the air and swirled to her left. 

 

“Do you mind if I sit?” 

 

The lithe blonde stood tall, but her stoic facade slipped; distress lined her face. Regina patted the bench beside her and waited on Mal’s tongue to loosen. When no words came, she magicked away her trash and replaced it with two glasses of Regina’s apple cider.

 

“You don’t look any happier than I feel. Where did you go, Mal?”

 

Ice blue eyes flashed, her iris stretched thin cat-like and returned to its normal state. “I’ve been investigating that loathsome pirate at my daughter’s request. Lily and Emma’s friendship may be volatile and unpredictable, but my daughter loves our savior like no other.

 

Jealousy reared its ugly head in Regina’s mind, yet she refrained from growling. But, Mal’s warm hand quieted that emotion as it grew. “Not like that. Lily and Emma are somewhere between childhood best friends and siblings--there is a lot of love and loathing, even more baggage and pain, but they would go to the ends of the earth for the other if need be.”

 

“Or send their mother?”

 

Pale lips turned upward. “Yes, but I doubt that foolish little bandit would be willing to stick her neck out for my daughter.”

 

A rich, husky laugh rolled out unbidden from Regina. “No. I don’t imagine she would.” Her giddiness quickly died out as memories flashed to the last moment she watched through the mirror. Emma survived the wave, barely. Her magic spent forced her to end the connection. Regina’s need to know Emma was alive did not outweigh her need to give the blonde the privacy she wanted. She hated herself for breaching it thus far. She longed for the strength to prevent herself from crossing that line again. Grief washed across her face. The low rumble of a purr emanated from her friend, a strange olive branch the woman offered to comfort.

 

The dragon’s eyes flashed again reminding the queen once again that her old friend’s thoughts didn’t easily translate to speech.”I went in search of Jones. I wanted to talk some sense into him or give her the closure she might need. She could make you happy as you could her. But, these half measures are more damaging than good.” A slender hand tossed back her drink in one gulp and with the flick of a finger the glass refilled. “I visited every realm I know and a few that I haven’t set foot in since your birth. I found the Jolly Roger at the bottom of the Endless Sea. Scorch and claw marks marred the wood. Something worse than I shredded it. As I swam inspecting a visitor interrupted my search. Thetis the sea nymph beckoned me away. She told me the ship belonged to Nergal, and if I did not leave it, I would meet with the same fate as its owner had.”

 

Reptilian eyes focussed on the confused queen. “What happened to him?”

 

“I’m not sure. But, I do know he went on a fool’s errand. He sought out someone who he believed owed him a great debt. Ozymandias has never been known for playing the fool. No matter what the pirate wanted to accomplish, I dare say it all went astray.” The dragon knocked back her drink again, refilled quickly and swallowed the third within seconds. Her eyes searched her friend’s face. 

 

“I learned one other thing. I’m not sure what to make of it. It changes things. It changes everything.”

 

Dark eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

 

“I suppose you wouldn’t.” Sorrow filled the dragon’s eyes. “

 

**_Tipsy and swaying, the younger dragon used her magic to boil the alcohol from her blood as she sought out her oldest friend. Even though the two men she had been sandwiched between at the diner objected, Lily needed to know Emma was okay. She remembered finding her shattered body washed up on the shore several months ago. The blonde’s magic called to her, the blonde clinging to life with the barest feeling of a pulse under her skin. She pushed off her morbid thoughts as she threw open the blonde’s front door searching for her friend. “Em, where are you?”_ **

 

**_No one responded from the first floor. She heard a dull thump above her head. She looked up and could sense a life force through the plaster of the ceiling. She trotted up the stairs to the master bedroom. The open door greeted her as she could hear the woman inside frantically grabbing her things from the closet._ **

 

**_“Emma, what are you doing?” Lily stood at the end of Emma’s bed watching the blond fling clothes in a duffel._ **

 

**_Less frantic, Emma stopped and sighed. She shifted nervously on her feet before flinging a wise-ass comment back. “What does it look like I’m doing?” The blonde wiped angrily at the tears rolling down her face. “It’s not like this is the first time you’ve seen me pack a bag.”_ **

 

**_Lily huffed an agreement, kicked off her heels and hopped up on the bed. “Running again; you will regret this. No matter whatever Regina said, she loves you.”_ **

 

**_The blonde’s shoulders sagged momentarily; the words had hit home. However, they did not deter the blonde. With her back turned, Emma continued her work. She rummaged through the back of her closet and grabbed a second bag. “She might, but I’m too damaged. She wants all of me. There are parts I can’t give. I’m half dead inside.”_ **

 

**_Part of her wanted to poke at Emma’s lack of argument. She had not tried to pretend that Regina was not the issue, but going down that road would not address the elephant in the room. The brunette’s face darkened.  “That bastard better not ever show back up here. I will end him before he crosses the town line.”_ **

 

**_The blonde froze. She dropped the jeans in her hand into the bag and then sat down next to Lily. “You can’t hurt him. No one can.  He won’t be coming back, not ever again. He made his decision. I have to live with the consequences.”_ **

 

**_Lily processed the words. Gooseflesh ghosted over her arms; Emma’s half-truth raised the tiny hairs of her arms. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”_ **

 

**_Emma approached her friend. “I don’t know. For his sake, I hope so.” Lily pulled her in for a goodbye hug. Too much went unsaid; Emma’s broken heart could not bear to utter the words._ **

 

**_“Stay safe, Em.”_ **

 

+++++

 

Dorian controlled the helm leaning heavily on the wheel. His half-hearted wave of acknowledgment confused Emma. Most of the time, he acted like she did not exist. Other days, he reminded her of Hades’ henchmen. She looked askance at him one more time before finding her deck chair. 

 

Starlight slowly filled the early evening sky. One bright star after another punched through the darkness illuminating their world. Like most nights, Emma sipped her first cup of coffee while Ben gazed upward enjoying his cigar. The rest of the crew either rested or occupied their time below decks in some other capacity. She sighed thinking of the others on board. Many times she had wished to have met them before choosing to join this ridiculous excursion. The crew, Emma avoided them for the most part. She trusted Ben. Erik worried her; Dorian intrigued her in the same way great white sharks did; Angel made her flesh clamor to be away from him; Takeshi’s judgemental eyes burned into her daily. And, Oni, that woman’s heart died long ago. She shivered; her thoughts had spiraled away from the conversation at hand again.

 

“I know you said I shouldn’t leave him too much, but how much is too much? He’s a teenager with his whole life ahead of him, not a baby.” Ben’s voice trembled with the guilt and strain of knowing he had failed to parent. Emma fought to not snap at the man. This conversation had played on repeat for nearly a week now.

 

“You literally have billions of dollars in investments. A fourteen-year-old can’t deal with that no matter how well Karen raised him.” Irritated at the situation, she leaned forward putting her elbows on her knees. “I didn’t raise my son for the first decade of his life. I only became a successful parent because Regina, his other mother, taught me how.” She pushed to her feet and tossed the dregs of her cup down her throat before turning on him again. “ Realize I know very little about dealing with extreme wealth, but what I do know is that you should be consulting your financial advisor not me. However, a friend of mine would suggest creating a trust fund. Make his mother the guardian of the trust. She can disperse it to him as she feels he’s ready. You have to have some faith in the woman for this to work.”

 

He tossed his cigar butt over the side and sighed. He rubbed his hand down his stubbled face. “I know you are right. But, he’s my son.  _ It’s his birthright _ . He should have everything I built because it’s what I didn’t give him that matters.”

 

She cringed with those words. How many times had Hook used that phrasing to justify endangering their lives? 

 

**_Emma cowered behind the two men. She had lost track of what land they were in and what he wanted. She only knew her stomach grew and her body weakened as the voyage continued. Doubt and fear plagued her the way hope and love once had. This morning Killian had forced her to board this large black ship anchored on a lonely isle._ **

 

**_A burly man whose beard held more gray than red greeted Killian but grimaced as they set foot upon his deck._ **

 

**_“Hook, I thought you had retired.”_ **

 

**_With one hand on his sword, her dark-haired husband swaggered toward the lone pirate._ **

 

**_“I see your crew left you.” Killian gestured to the wide open deck. “Or, did you kill them all?”_ **

 

**_“Don’t be daft, boy. I sent them after supplies and to stretch their legs. We’ve been stuck on a ship for months. “Why don’t you and the misses step into my cabin. We can share a few pints of grog, and you can tell me what you’re after.”_ **

 

**_Emma followed her husband into the ship’s cabin._ **

 

**_“Are you willing to join my crew or do you still search for that bloody crocodile?”_ **

 

**_Killian flashed his charming grin. “I dealt with the croc some time ago. And, as you see, I have a ship of my own that doesn’t require a crew.”_ **

 

**_The older captain hung his hat and examined his guests. “I take it you aren’t here for a social call either.”_ **

 

**_“Aye, Barbarossa, you didn’t think my wife and I crossed realms looking for you on a lark, did you?” The coalescing venom in Killian’s eyes reminded her of his days as a Dark One. She watched in horror as her husband held a blade to the man’s neck. “Where is it? You stole the sextant, the key to the enumerable seas. I want it back.”_ **

 

**_The older pirate blanched in fear of his protege’, yet a hardy steel nature came over him. He squared his shoulders and straightened his cloak. “I have ransacked thousands of ships, stolen immeasurable wealth, and claimed many girls maidenhood, but I never stole from you. Surely, you remember that I won it.” Pushing past, Hook, he stepped to his private bar and poured each of them a glass. He turned to hand one to Emma. Killian slapped the glass from his hand. Glass shards exploded on the floor around Emma’s bare feet._ **

 

**_“You can see she’s in the family way. How dare you pour her anything.”_ **

 

**_Emma trembled. Killian’s rages increased with the girth of her belly. The pair had left Storybrooke a half a year ago in search of Killian’s lost item. The longer the voyage, the worse his demeanor. The man she loved hid behind the specter of a vengeful tyrant; one she had learned to distrust._ **

 

**_“If you remember we played Preferans at the Flying Dutchman. You had a choice you could relinquish the Roger or give me the sextant, and you chose to keep your ship.”_ **

 

**_Killian tugged on his drink and nodded. “Aye, that much is true. But, I have a child on the way. That sextant is my son’s birthright. I need it back. What is your price?”_ **

 

**_“You cannot afford it, my friend.”_ **

 

**_Brandishing the knife again, Killian threaded it effortlessly through his fingers. The steel glinted in the candlelight. “Don’t make me coerce you, old friend,” he sneered._ **

 

**_Barbarossa dropped his weary body onto his chair. “You don’t understand. There is no price. I don’t have it. Ozymandias reclaimed it as his. He said the power corrupted you and all our kind. He saved us all by taking it off to the sand sea of Mu.”_ **

 

**_Killian’s face blanched white with his words. “That complicates things, to say the least.”_ **

 

Emma placed her cup on the table next to Ben. “Time to get to work.” She made her way to the helm and waited for Dorian to step aside.

 

“The winds have been increasing in strength for the last half hour, but that is to be expected.” He pointed toward the hatch. “I’m off to dine. Easter Island should appear to the Starboard around midnight. I suggest anchoring on the leeward side of the island. The seas are calmer there.”

 

Although she distrusted the man, she nodded her agreement. His eyes met hers momentarily. She stared amazed at the swirling blue and black in his iris.

 

He smirked. “You can’t feel the magic of the island calling to yours yet?”

 

“Don’t worry. You will.”

 

+++++

 

A few hours later, Emma dropped the anchor. Over the last few hours standing at the wheel she had composed an extensive letter. She finished her beer, rinsed the bottle and pushed the curled paper into its belly. She corked it and closed her eyes. With a whisper of a few words, the container sealed. She dropped into the water and prayed that her magic would send it homeward.

 

+++++

 

Regina jogged down to the wharf in the early morning hours, a strange habit she developed over the last few days. Something pulled her here in the cover of darkness, in the silence of the hours before dawn. A high pitched murmur came from the dock’s edge. Looking downward, she spied a familiar green bottle. She laughed to herself wondering when her favorite blonde had idly tossed her favorite beer into the water. The murmur became a whisper. Drawn to the bottle, she used a net to pull it free. Its siren song stopped the moment her hands wrapped around the glass. Using her magic, she popped the seal and poured out the rolled parchment.

 

**My Dearest Regina,**

 

**I hope this finds you well. I should have said goodbye. I was afraid you would talk me out of leaving. I miss you. I miss the sound of your voice, the smell of your skin, your soft touch, but I miss how I feel more like myself when I am with you. But, it isn’t your responsibility to make me feel whole. I understand that. I always did, but I was being selfish. For that, I am sorry. I hope someday you will forgive me.**

 

**Forever yours,**

 

**Emma**


	3. Burnt Offering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out more about what Killian did. Emma finds out things are not as bleak between her and Regina as she thought. Emma makes a new friend. And, Regina tries to understand what Emma has been through and is trying to recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has dropped me a line to check up on me whether here or on SS Storybrooke. I hope you can continue to be patient. I have suffered through a nasty head/chest cold and am still prepping my house for when we try to sell it later in the year. We are still traveling every other weekend (5 hours each direction) to visit my ailing mother-in-law and work on the 'new' house. That actually means we are doing much-needed repairs to her house with her being angry at us for doing them. If you have known anyone that suffers from bad blood flow some days their brain doesn't receive enough...and that causes all sorts of weird responses. She gets angry, or scared or forgets major life events... 
> 
> Due to all of this, I don't get much time to write. I don't have a place of my own to write without someone needing something. I also rarely have a minute to myself.

She brushed at the fungus growing on the stone of the Moai in front of her; the greenish black fungus made a patchy beard along its left side. She smiled acknowledging the last time she saw that growth it had been connected to stones surrounding a large waterfall--one she had intentionally leaped into allowing the force of the water to flush her downstream. Ben had fallen when the group had tried to crossover; she had jumped to his rescue. The others loved and hated her for the heroism. Ben, understanding her more than the others, asked if she wanted to die; she refused to answer. Now running her fingers through the fuzz, she searched her mind. That day two months ago she would not have minded it being her last. Emotionally, determined to make progress, Emma could honestly say she wanted to continue living.

 

“I’ve wanted to see these things since I was a boy.” Ben’s half-hearted statement startled her from her inner thoughts.  She did not expect the sadness lacing in his voice.

 

Emma’s green eyes scanned his form. The man’s weight dropped a few pounds every few days.  “How are you feeling?”

 

He shook his head. “I still want to see a few more places, but I’m running on empty. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

 

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We’ve been at it for several months. We’ve seen the Galapagos, all the Pitcairn, and now this. What more do you want?”

 

He slid to the ground putting his back to a rock. “I’m not ready.” 

 

The blonde handed him a water bottle from her backpack. “I don’t think your cancer cares whether or not you're ready. If you haven’t started making plans yet…”

 

“Hey,” he glared at her. “My lawyer is handling that.” His eyes shifted across the island. “I’m more worried about what’s going to happen with you.” The shadows on his face deepened the line of his mouth into a mutilated scar. “I don’t want you to return to old habits.”

 

She dropped beside him brushing shoulders along the way. “I’m doing better.”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

She sucked her teeth and growled. “You are not my dad. I’m not your responsibility.”

 

He shrugged. “From what you’ve said about your parents, I’m a better influence than they ever were.”

 

Her half-shrug spoke volumes. “It’s kind of hard to look up to a self-absorbed princess and a man that has good intentions but the attention span of a gnat.”

 

“God, really?” Their eyes met briefly. She nodded before they both erupted in laughter.

 

“God, that explains so much.” 

 

He broke into a coughing fit that jarred his whole body. She helped steady him, but knew he would not allow much help. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to provide support.

 

“Swan, can you tell me why death doesn’t scare you?”

 

Her eyes fell on a storm brewing across the water; her mind reflected on the frequency of such things before her lips tentatively moved to form an answer. “Last year I lost two people. My husband deserved his fate, but my daughter was a victim of his stupidity and arrogance.” 

 

The muscles in her throat tensed. Her eyes welled with unshed tears. With his eyes boring into her soul, Emma pushed to her feet and wandered down the slope to water. 

 

She kicked her boots off, pulled her socks off and rolled up her jeans so that she could walk along the beach. She felt his presence; Ben’s constant compassion shocked her.

 

“My last lover terminated her pregnancy when she found out I had cancer.” His gruff voice cracked in anguish. “Part of me wants to hate her for robbing me of a second chance,” he turned his back to the wind and the sun. “She wasn’t cut out to be a caregiver; otherwise she would be with us here.”

 

She kicked at an incoming wave splashing the two of them to the knees. “I never can tell if you are trying to convince me of your sainthood or that you are an asshole.”

 

“Depends on the day.”

 

A bereft smile tugged at her lips. “You’re kind of both.”

  
  


+++++

 

The wind whipped the tendrils tucked under the gray beanie she wore. Regina blew out a slow breath as she slowly walked to her favorite bench on the pier. As the months wore on her longing grew worse. On the nights when sleep evaded her, she wrapped her body in some of the clothing Emma had left behind and come here in hopes of another bottle calling to her. She sat on the well-worn boards. 

 

Moonlight danced on the white caps. The water lapped at the old pilings in a soothing cadence easing her tense shoulders. Her fingers played with the tool long sleeves of Emma’s sweater before she brought one of her cashmere encased hands to her nose.

 

“Your majesty, I didn’t believe it would be so easy to find you.”

 

Regina blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “Ursula, what are you doing here?”

 

The sea-witch had materialized at the edge of the dock. Though their friendship revolved around Rumple and Maleficent, they held each other in high regard. “Could we go somewhere warmer? I’m not used to suffering the elements anymore.”

 

Regina fiercely wiped the few tears that had escaped before her friend’s arrival. She offered the darker woman her hand. A plume of purple smoke dissipated leaving the two women in the mansion’s kitchen.  

 

“Make yourself comfortable. Are you hungry?” Regina began setting up the coffeemaker knowing that the bitter liquid would be what both of them required.

 

Ursula perched on a stool and sighed. “Would you have some leftovers? I’ve been traveling for days.”

 

A vein on Regina’s forehead showed her concern as she grabbed a dish from the refrigerator. She quickly heated the enchiladas for her visitor and brought her a fork.

 

“Why were you looking for me?” 

 

She watched the woman close her eyes enjoying the meal. Ursula chewed slowly savoring it before swallowing. “I wanted to check on Emma. When I dropped her on the beach, I had to hurry back, but I knew she would be safe once she made it to Storybrooke. How is she?”

 

+++++

 

Shivering with her lips turning blue, Emma stumbled through the door. She struggled with the nob; hands stiff from the cold. Fighting the wind and the waves all night long sapped what little energy she had. She carefully picked her way between the bunks and dressers to the large tile bathroom. In the doorway, she dropped her soaked coat to the floor.

 

Her roommate, Dorian sat up and rubbed his face waking from the noisy squelch of her drenched clothing landing on the tile floor. 

“Hey. Did Ben take the helm?”

 

She nodded flinging droplets as she moved her head. “I gave it all I had for hours. Ben took over a few minutes ago. I think he has the rest of the men taking it in shifts.” 

 

“You must be frozen from the inside out. Take a hot shower. I’ll go make some soup to warm your bones.” 

 

She ducked her head and nodded her thanks confused by the man’s consideration. The two of them had failed to develop any kind of friendship in the weeks they shared quarters. His extreme arrogance and condescension made his conversations difficult to take. The man was too pretty and petty to be here for this voyage. Yet, here he was; silk shirts and callous-free hands, sailing with a ship of lost souls around the world. He may be too high class to do manual labor, but behind closed doors on the nights she pushed herself too far, he forced her to eat before bed. Although he tended to treat her like a servant in the daylight, at night, he cared enough to ensure her health if not her safety. She pushed her hip into the door shutting herself away from prying eyes as she allowed frustrated tears to slide down her cheeks. 

 

Part of her appreciated his thoughtfulness, the rest knew that all things come with a price, magic or not.

 

**_Killian stalked the deck like a panther. The vortex of water surrounding the boat vibrated power. The man relished seeing his boat crossing worlds even though his wife cowered behind the bulwark studying his every move. His black leather coat flowed behind him in the wind. Darkness gathered in his eyes and on his visage in ways that reminded her of a time when her husband chose himself over her family. Was he doing it again?_ **

 

**_“Ozymandias. He has something of mine that I need it back.”_ **

 

**_As much as she wanted to argue, she feared for her safety when hatred simmered beneath his skin. The longer they stayed away from Storybrooke, the worse his mood swings grew. She closed her eyes struggling to stay upright. She had begun to lose track of the days as she spent so many unable to hold food down. Crossing into this world had increased her symptoms a hundredfold._ **

 

**_The hull of the boat leveled on a choppy cerulean sea as the whirlpool vanished._ **

 

**_Nausea swept through her body; the cloying tinge of magic filled her lungs and mouth. Her timid feet carried her over to her husband. Emma turned and wrapped her body in her weakened body into Killian’s strong arms. She buried her head in his neck allowing him to still her, give strength. “Is he a friend or a pirate?”_ **

 

**_Killian’s chest rumbled with laughter. “He’s no friend. And, he certainly was never a pirate. Pharaoh, King, tyrant or God maybe, but never a pirate. Pirates have a code. He does not.”_ **

 

**_She shivered in his grasp whether due to his words or circumstances, she remained unsure. “Is it safe for the baby and me?”_ **

 

**_He shrugged her off. “Are you tiring of our adventures already?” He stepped up to the railing and pulled out his spyglass. “The land of Mu is wild and amazing. What’s to fear?”_ **

 

**_Her stomach flipped. In Storybrooke, magic lived in the air. She breathed it, tasted it like the scent of pine in the breeze. Mu, however, spewed magic from its depths. Plumes of its essence hung like ash from a volcano choking the air from her lungs, coating the back of her throat._ **

 

**_The child in her belly quickened its movements. The little feet frantically kicked; terror rolled in the back of Emma’s mind._ **

 

+++++

  
  


Dorian’s eyes met hers. She watched as a swirl of midnight blue eclipsed his iris. “You didn’t think that I chose to speak to you because you are easy on the eyes did you?” For a moment, her breath froze in her throat; she had mistakenly assumed none of them had any magical abilities. But, that maelstrom reflected in his orbs made her realize that this crew may be more than she believed. The teasing glint of his smirk calmed her nerves as they both let their eyes slide over the locals in the rustic bar. She could feel his discomfort as ran as thick as her own.

 

Her cheeks reddened. “Magic isn’t supposed to work out here.”

 

He cocked his head to the side. “You’d be surprised at all the places it does. Some are more powerful than others. Usually, the ancients built them but, you would be surprised. You can find magic in the oddest of spaces. Without asking where you're from since you have refused to share that for months, would you be willing to help a man in need? When I ask will you combine your power with mine?” The naked hope shining in his eyes.

 

She eyed him apprehensively. “Why should I help you?.” She dropped her hands to the tabletop and drummed out an off-tempo beat. “You’re asking for energy and strength I don’t have to spare. I’m busy trying to bury some demons of my own.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know that I should waste the little magic that I have out here on helping someone I barely know.”

 

“You are willing to help Ben with this crazy last wish, what could it hurt to lend me a little magic?” He cleared his throat and abruptly turned to the mirror behind the bar. “Uh, Em. Is there anyone who would check on you--Someone good with mirrors?”

 

The blonde slipped from her chair and crossed the space to inspect the silvery surface. Her heart leaped in her chest when she could discern a familiar silhouette. A goofy grin blossomed, and she waved her fingers at the glass.

 

Though she could not make out Regina’s features, a darkened handprint appeared on the glass. She placed her own against it for a minute feeling the warmth transfer through until suddenly she felt nothing but naked glass.

 

Dorian smirked at her as she stood staring her empty palm. “I take it you didn’t know she still cared.”

 

Migrating back to the high top table, Emma took a drink of her beer. She weighed her words carefully knowing that Regina might be able to hear some of them. “No. I was pretty sure she was done with me.” Her nervous fingers peeled the label from the bottle before picking at the glue. 

 

“At least you have someone that wants to know you are alive.”

 

The blonde’s pointed stare made him shifted in his chair. “My self-absorption pushed everyone away. I have destroyed the love anyone ever had for me. It took me centuries to realize that my curse is to be alone because I have valued myself above everything and everyone. Always.”

 

She huffed. “My sin is a bit different. I fell in love with someone, but I married someone else.” Her eyes glazed over as she spoke. “Don’t get me wrong. I wanted her, but she and I never dated before my marriage, but the opportunity...it was there.” She finished off her beer and sat the bottle down. “I was so stupid. I chose him for all the wrong reasons. He chased me. Some people said he was my stalker. I loved the attention even if it only made my parents happy. There was not one single moment in time that I wanted him even half as much as I did her.”

 

Motioning for another, she examined the sympathetic expression on Dorian’s face. “I loved Hook, but I was never in love with him.”

 

Dorian took another drink, then he motioned with the bottle still in his hand he motioned around the room.“You don’t have to stay here. Why don’t you go home to her?”

 

Her blonde curls waved as she shook her head negatively. “I’m not ready yet. Too many memories...When I return, I want to be whole and healthy.” She threw back the remains of her beer. “She deserves that much from me.”

 

She stood and grabbed her jacket.

 

“How do you know she will wait?”

 

“I don’t. But, she might. I didn’t think I mattered until a few minutes ago. So, who knows? Life is full of the unexpected.” Leaving him at the table, she made her way to the cashier near the door.

 

He laughed and waved her off into the night. “Don’t worry. I think I know what you need, Swan.”

+++++

 

Regina rolled to her side and stretched a hand onto the right side of the bed. The tears that stained her cheeks in the early hours of the morning dried before work. She struggled through her day only half listening to the complaints of the townspeople. Since Emma left, Regina spent more time debating whether she should turn the town over to younger hands. Physically she remained the same, but her heart had aged significantly. Without Emma and Henry, very little light shone in her personal life. She spent too many idle hours waiting for news of her greatest loves. Henry and Jacinda had settled in the land of the free-folk for now, but soon they would move on to Elsewhere, and then onto another set of realities. 

 

The first months after her favorite charming left town, she avoided calling her name to the mirror. Regina denied herself access most of the time. After her lover rejected her contact or at least all her calls went to voicemail, she did not feel she had the right to see what the younger woman faced. Then, fear crept in as Mary Margaret asked if she had heard from Emma. The news that her parents received the same rejection she had terrified the queen. ‘What if she didn’t answer because she was injured or dead?’ Like the last time, that memory bubbled to the surface, fear-fueled her need to see those golden tresses. She touched the enchanted surface and waited. Her sleepless nights kept her weak. Her magic filled the glass with hazy images of a rustic bar. Regina’s heart ached as she watched the blonde sharing a beer and laughing with an incredibly handsome man. His eyes flashed as he spoke. She raised her hand to wipe the glass clear of the image when he pointed directly at her. Blonde curls whipped in her direction. Red lips parted in awe and fear as Emma awkwardly waved her fingers in silent greeting. Longing rooted her to the spot as she pressed her cold hand to the mirror’s surface wishing to feel warm skin. A mirthless giggle escaped when a pale hand rose to meet her own. Her magic waned seconds after the contact, but it bolstered her confidence. The blonde had not rejected her presence. 

 

She swallowed and choked on tears that fought to the surface. ‘Maybe her trip is allowing her to heal rather than dwell on the pains of her past,’ she muttered to the darkened room. She thought back to the few weeks before when she had violated the blonde’s privacy, but could not understand the event she witnessed. What was Emma doing?

  
  


**_Blistering sunlight scorched the stonework. Ancient, gnarled trees rooted into the spaces between the carved stone doorways and the terraces. With her hair in a loose ponytail, ripped cargo pants, canvas shirt and hiking boots, this tanned version of Emma Swan barely resembled the woman she knew. Lean and muscled, the hollow cheeks and dark circles under her eyes made her look more like a wraith than the woman she treasured._ **

 

**_Regina watched Emma examine the remains of the ancient temple. The tour guide continued to babble on describing Angkor Wat’s history. Puzzled, the brunette used her laptop to determine where the blonde had traveled. Her heart sank into her stomach; the woman was halfway around the world._ **

 

**_After crossing the bridge into the courtyard, a stillness saturated the world around the blonde woman. She closed her eyes an inhaled blowing her breath in a controlled manner. Men wrapped in orange cloth moved about the complex, some singing, some dancing. Before a clay pot, a monk sat burning strips of paper. Emma paid them little mind. She found a quiet corner and slipped a photograph from her pocket._ **

 

**_Regina cringed. She could see the glint of his hook at the edge of the photograph. The mayor waited. She expected Emma to cry or tear the image; she folded end to end until she had a strip a little wider than her finger. Slowly, she approached the seated monk. Emma gave a cursory bow before dropping the photograph on the flame. She did not stay to see Hook’s image turn to ash._ **

  
  



	4. Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason behind Emma's emotional devastation becomes a lot clearer as does Ursula's appearance in Storybrooke. What has she told Regina? What else has she failed to share? Dorian reveals his magical abilities but still hasn't expressed what he wants in return. Emma and Regina begin to communicate. FOREWARNING: There is a sex scene with Killian where we learn how Emma managed to live her life as a lie. If it isn't your thing heed the demarcation on the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Xevn for the sex scene. You are the best. 
> 
> Very soon the flashbacks will end; Killian will cease to exist/annoy; Dorian will reveal what he wants, and Emma will sort her shit. I expect Emma will be returning to Storybrooke within 2 more chapters.

Emma stargazed from the hotel balcony. As habits go, this one caused no harm yet left her longing for home. It saddened her. All the nights she spent holding Regina while she slept watching the moon cross the velvety darkness. She kept those memories close, locked in her mind. They promised her a better tomorrow if only she could find a way to pay her debt. She sighed missing the feel of her lover in her arms.

 

“Have you found any answers up there?” Ben’s gravely voice sounded weaker than she liked.

 

“Not particularly.” She turned her eyes toward the man leaning in the doorway. “What bring you over?”

 

“You didn’t seem happy about what we are doing tomorrow.” His tone lacked the worry that his face conveyed. 

 

She turned and leaned her back on the railing and crossed her arms across her chest. “I’m not in a great headspace. I’m not sure leaping out of a plane is such a  great idea.”

 

“It’s not like this is the first time we’ve jumped as a group,” he argued.

 

“True. Last time I had a little good news. I felt free and happy. We’d survived a storm that tried to sink us. I lived in the moment for a few days. But, that wore off a while ago.” Her eyes caught his. “What if I lose interest in pulling the ripcord?” The tremor in her voice hinted that at this moment she knew she would not preserve her life with such a simple gesture.

 

His eyes glistened in the darkness. “I know what you mean. It’s certainly tempting. I think I would rather die on impact than continue to diminish.” Pushing off the doorjamb, he joined her at the railing. He shook his head. “Imagining my son’s reaction prevents me from being that selfish.” He bumped shoulders with her. “For a few days, I thought Angkor Wat had worked serious magic on you. I swear you joined us at the table every morning with a grin. What happened?”

 

The blonde leaned her head on his once strong shoulders. “The burnt prayer helped. But, it opened up my eyes to a serious problem I need to handle. I have spent so much time dwelling on what happened that I forgot about the details. I can’t go home to her until I pay my debt; otherwise, she could lose me for good. I don’t think she could handle the loss of one more person that she loves.” 

 

Confusion reigned in his eyes. He tried valiantly to understand Emma when she spoke in riddles, but he never quite grasped what she said leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

 

A benign smile faded from Emma’s lips. The lack of comprehension in Ben’s features grew to hurt her. She wanted to explain her world, her life to the man. Yet, if she were to do that, it would give him false hope. He would expect magic could cure his ailment, but as anyone in Storybrooke could tell him, cancer was immune to magic.

 

“Maybe it’s for the best that you sit out tomorrow. Dorian said something about taking a side trip with you. The two of you could disappear for a few days. Then, we could attack the Cape together.”

 

+++++

 

_ K _ **_illian’s chapped lips teased along Emma’s neck, the abrasive stubble of his beard chafing her delicate skin. Paying open mouth kisses, he left a slick wake of warm saliva that meshed horribly with the thick whiskers of his goatee._ **

 

**_Threading her fingers through the sweat-dampened hair, she clasped his head and pulled him from his clumsy ministrations. Meeting Killian’s desire lidded eyes and smug grin of satisfaction brought their intimate mingling to a pause. “Is everything alright, love?” He panted out, his hips rolling into her with languid strokes._ **

 

**_She studied the shadow encased features of his face, imagining the jagged lines of his chiseled jaw diluting to something feminine and familiar. Red lips blooming from the pale sliver that defined his. Deep coffee brown orbs flickering with purple magical essence faded over the salacious glint of his blue eyes._ **

 

**_Hesitantly she reached forward and caressed the soft skin of Regina’s face. Her hand delicately brushing along the warm, smooth flesh of the brunette’s cheek afraid the image would break. Plump full lips pressed a tender kiss against her palm, and for a moment she was somewhere else. Happier. Her mouth silently shaping the name she longed to speak provoked unshed tears to her eyes._ **

 

**_The illusion weakened with a low grunt of Killian’s pleasure as he picked up his pace, thrusting himself deeper and harder into her sex. For him, it would be over in less than a minute; for her, it would be another empty moment of disappointment tacked onto her lengthy list._ **

 

**_Not this time._ **

 

**_Chasing her fantasy and a desperately needed orgasm, she effortlessly toppled him over onto his back without separating them. Surprised to see Regina’s mischievous smirk fixed over his face, she didn’t think twice to capture those beautiful red lips in a kiss. Heady and breathless she stayed in the dream, refusing to break for air._ **

 

**_Exquisite digits smoothed over her cheeks, perfectly manicured nail tips traced along the subtle rise and fall of the blonde’s features as if memorizing nuanced intricacies that comprised her face. Cupping one of the hands, she pressed it firmly against her cheek, cherishing the radiating warmth and gentle movement of tendons flexing in Regina’s palm._ **

 

**_Pulling away, she never strayed from the dream. Drawing in a raspy gasp, she held onto the hand and circled her hips down until her clit found the taut surface of her partner’s base. She told herself the pulsing heat buried deep inside her was a manifestation of Regina’s magic; a lie woven from experience. Grinding a rhythm born from habitual tedium, she found herself enthralled by the fantasy. Pleasure, she hadn’t felt in ages sparked hotly through her core and rippled up throughout her body._ **

 

**_Straddling the precipice of her climax, she followed the pulsing pull of the illusion further inside her mind as Regina’s nails tickled their way up her back. The brunette guided Emma to sit up, stretching her clenching channel and taking more of the fleshly hot phallus’s length inside her. Regina’s lips capture hers in another bruising kiss. The latter’s breast meshing with hers in a slippery but smooth motion as their bodies moved in time with each other._ **

 

**_Blinding white lights surged behind her eyelids, her body shuddering in time with the heated twitching inside her turned the passionate kisses into desperate clashing of teeth and lips. ‘Don’t let this be a mistake when we wake up tomorrow.’ Regina’s pleading voice whispered words Emma wished to hear.  One night in Neverland, she held the queen in her arms seeking heat in the nighttime chill. However, their intimacy went no further. Emma’s mind had conjured these images taunting the savior with all of the things that would remain forever out of reach._ **

 

**_Opening her eyes, she looked down at the pleasantly surprised and exhausted face of Killian. “Love, where did you learn to do that?” His gruff Irish lilt destroying all vestiges of her pleasure. The poisonous guilt flaring in her cheeks turned her belly as her morning sickness rekindled._ **

 

**_“Excuse me for a moment.” She sprinted for the head in his Captain’s quarters in time to lose everything she had ingested during the last hours. She used mouthwash to delete his taste from her mouth. Experience told her that it made nausea multiply even more so than the guilt of pretending._ **

 

++++

 

“How long have we been in the air?” Emma yawned as she one-eyed the small plane. “I can’t believe you can afford to rent this death trap.” She grumbled reminding herself a little too much of the woman she missed. The two sat strapped in the rickety seats. A dozen more adventurers filled the remaining cabin space. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the stale body odor wafting by as the man in front of them shifted in his seat triggering her already sour stomach. She clenched her teeth tightly forcing the bile down where it belonged.

 

Slender fingers wrapped around her fist easing her tension. Dorian elbowed her in the ribs. “You will thank me later.”

 

She scoffed although the noise of the airplane’s engines drowned it out. She leaned closer to his space. “I have my doubts. Too many of these people remind me of my very, very unpleasant ex. And, not in a good way.” She shuddered as her mind tried to revert back to her nightmarish memory, but she shoved it away with a more pressing matter. “Is Ben doing any better?”

 

A single shake of his head. “I doubt we will be traveling companions much longer. His body will give up the fight soon.”

 

She wanted to say his fate was terrible or undeserved, but she could not. Emma no longer had the faith in humanity to try to preserve his life beyond where the day took them. World-weary, she shared a look of understanding; Dorian’s will to live had been stripped as well.

 

**_Against all warnings that Mu’s magic would saturate their bodies, Hook had refused to leave. Emma cried and begged as a penetrating sickness overwhelmed her senses. She lost all strength and rarely managed to pull herself from the roughly hewn sheets of the hard mattress. With each day inhaling the fetid air, her magic boiled beneath her skin dangerously as if the island’s power could turn her white magic darker than Rumple’s._ **

 

**_Although Hades and Poseidon told the pirate multiple times that the sextant was not meant for mortals, he refused to believe he would not be receiving the talisman. His ego and anger permeated his every action. He ignored his suffering wife except for when he wanted to satisfy his urges which seemed to be intensifying the longer they stayed._ **

 

**_Hook suffered more without noticing. Horns grew from his matted black hair; his glowed a sickly green. His lust ran high for days while they waited for the gods to decide what was to come. When Emma refused his advances he disappeared into the depths of the island and returned smelling of other women. She wanted to resent his attitude, but she felt relieved to be ignored._ **

 

**_She lost all sense of time as the days turned to weeks. With a scream, Emma woke alone on the hard slab bed. Her pores sweat blood along her abdomen as a gut-wrenching pain jolted her form again._ **

 

**_Involuntarily, she screamed in agony until her throat hurt._ **

 

**_“Emma?” A soft hand wiped the wetness from her forehead as her eyes blinked open. Ursula, the sea witch, knelt next to savior. “The fool never took you away from the island.” She huffed and helped the semi-lucid blonde to her feet._ **

 

**_Weakened and feverish, she collapsed again losing all sense of her surroundings._ **

**_Sometime later her awareness returned._ **

 

**_An oily grey mist swirled around the slate throne room of Mu. “Look at her father!” Ursula demanded as she held up a barely conscious Emma bridal style. Weak and unable to stand, clothed in only a long shirt doused in perspiration, Mrs. Jones shook her head violently trying to convey how much she did not want what she knew was coming._ **

 

**_Against all warnings that Mu’s magic would saturate their bodies, Hook had refused to leave. Now, her magic boiled beneath her skin dangerously as if the island had the power to turn her white magic into poison in her veins. The blonde wailed in pain, her hands grappling her swollen belly. The mound’s taut surface rippled as she began to howl. Bloody wetness covered the savior’s thighs._ **

 

**_“Shush” The sea witch wiped the sweat from the broken woman’s face and turned back to her father._ **

 

**_“The pirate ravaged his child’s fate. This is on him.” Poseidon’s unfeeling response enraged his daughter further._ **

 

**_“Emma didn’t challenge you, nor did she have a wager against you and Hades. That was him, Hook. Emma cried; she yelled, and, she refused you. He ignored her. She’s his wife yet the man acts like her words mean nothing.” Ursula clutched the blonde to her chest. “She deserves better than this. You know as well as I do that he did not listen when he was warned that Mu would poison the child and its mother. She shouldn’t have to pay for his greed.”_ **

 

**_“Aiigh.” Emma’s breaths came quickly. “She’s coming.”_ **

 

**_Hades erupted out of black smoke at her feet. “Yes. In a sense, she is. But, she’s mine.”_ **

 

**_Eyes filling with tears, her throat raw from screaming. Emma cried for the life the little girl would never have. Her body began to expel the child. Blackened leathery wings wrapped around an all too ghastly grey human body._ **

 

**_LIfeless, Ursula pulled the small creature away from its’ mother. “Pass her to me,” Hades commanded. “Mrs. Jones, would you like the opportunity to name her?”_ **

 

**_The mother’s body contorted with the strength of her muscle spasm; Emma felt her core shredding to pieces as the noxious magic from the island corrupted the lining of her womb taking all possibility for another child with it._ **

 

**_He wrapped the babe in a soft cloth with all the care and reverence. A small sparkle grew in his eye._ **

 

**_Her voice cracked in agony as she fought her emotions, “She’s gone. How could I name her Hope, when she’s gone?”_ **

 

**_He smirked and pulled the baby closer to his breast. Hades kissed the child’s brow lovingly stroking dark curls. “You are very wrong. She’s not alive, but she’s far from gone. Open your eyes little one.”_ **

 

**_A strangled gurgle came from the shivering form wrapped in a black receiving blanket. A tiny hiss followed. Emerald eyes widened in horror as the midnight wings unfurled. “Your hope is a cambion. Though I doubt you two will have many moments together, she will always feel your blood in her veins. You may always long for her to be in your care, but I cannot allow it. She is the spawn of the Savior but a child of Hell all the same.”_ **

 

**_Pushing herself to her knees, ignoring the blood and filth. Emma watched him handle the little creature like a doting father. “I don’t understand.”_ **

 

**_Poseidon and Hades exchanged a knowing look. Before Ursula pushed forward, wrapping the broken woman in a blue and green silk robe. “Now isn’t the time. If we don’t get you out of here soon, this magic will end you.”_ **

 

**_The sea-witch helped Emma to her feet. “Father, can she stay with us?”_ **

**_The flash in his eyes and the sharp turn of his head did little to conceal his disdain._ **

 

**_Ursula snapped her fingers, Emma’s breath ceased as the witch shifted into her tentacled form and wrapped the blonde in a cocoon of black ink. Her father waved her away, but Hades stopped her with his hand._ **

 

**_“Remind the Savior, she still owes me a life, one I don’t have to fight to take. Or, within the next year, she can choose to crossover. I will be paid in full.”_ **

  
  


+++++

 

Dorian parked the Land Rover on the edge of a vast grassy plain where it buttressed against the Catatumbo River. Ozone lingered in the air as a low hum of energy brought goosebumps to her skin.

 

“Why are we here?” she asked not for the first time.

 

“Wait and see,” Dorian held a finger to his lips. He pulled his backpack from behind his seat and made his way toward the water.  “I suggest you join me.”

 

Tendrils of magic slowly began to buzz under her skin. “Wait! Why didn’t we feel it when we arrived?”

 

He laughed lightly. “It’s barely started.” 

 

Purple lightning flared in the distance above the water. Then, a burst of five jagged lines of energy like fingers shot down from the evening sky to the water’s surface. The light danced and rolled between water and a cloud bank in an endless display. Strobing powerful rockets of electricity shot across the mouth of the river quick succession, Emma stared in awe, but without fear.

 

“Why isn’t it hitting us?” She asked.

 

“For the same reason it isn’t stopping. It’s raw magic.”

 

She looked down at her hands. A white flame sat in both her palms without calling to her magic. She smiled, then frowned. 

 

“I’ve never had this much magic to work within this world.”

 

He shrugged. “I doubt if many are strong enough to wield it. But, for what we need, together we can.” He pulled a framed mirror from his bag and laid it at their feet.

 

Holding his hands out with her palms facing her, he said, “Give me your hands.”

 

Nervously, she eyed the radiant arc shooting overhead before thrusting her hands into his. He drew the energy out of her hands in a controlled siphoning. In result, Dorian used a steady flow of her power to stabilize his work. She heard him mumble and move his hands. As he uttered each syllable the mirror on the ground frosted, expanded, contracted then radiated white light before the surface surrendered to blackness.

 

“Ha. I haven’t been able to do this in ages.” Dorian threw a fist in the air and danced before spinning back around to smile at her.

 

Emma watched her strange friend as he celebrated, but she could not discern what his spell had accomplished.

 

“I’m afraid that I don’t understand.” 

 

Dorian flashed a mischievous grin. “You will. It’s your payment for a favor that only you can fulfill. You are the reason I joined the trip. You are my best chance.”

 

He lifted the mirror and delicately slid it back into his pack. “Let’s head to the hotel, and I’ll show you. If we stay beyond what our magic can handle we will discover what feels like to be a firefly.” 

 

She followed him back to the truck unsure about his mood and his intentions.

  
  


+++++

 

  
Two days. She pulled the mirror from the foam casing and hung it on the wall next to her bunk leaving mere inches between her body and the silvered surface while she lay in bed. When he first presented her with his gift, she doubted it would work. But, the longer she held it in her possession the more she noticed it calling her power from the depths of her body. In the half-light of early morning, still moored in the harbor at Puerto Montt. Dorian and the others chose to stay in a hotel, and enjoy the last night of rest on solid ground. Emma wanted privacy, and the feeling of security garnered from a familiar space. She checked the time on her watch. 5:50 a.m. 

 

Emma knew that Regina woke with an alarm at 6:30 and then snoozed multiple times. She touched the mirror and whispered the woman’s name reverently hoping to watch the woman sleep. 

 

Laying with one hand propping her head up, a smile played on the blonde’s lips as a familiar body wrapped in silk sheets took shape. The former sheriff could see long brown tresses in disarray across a pillow, but her love faced away from her. A mumble and a brief snort broke the silence before an all too familiar low pitched sound that hovered between a moan and a sigh. She stifled a giggle as a reflex response to the sweet sounding snore she missed.

 

“God, I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

 

Regina gasped and sat up quickly blearily blinking away the sleep while her brain translated what she witnessed. “Emma?”

 

She wiggled her fingers and said a shy “hi.” 

 

“Hello.”

 

Sleep rumpled and without makeup, Emma could not remember a time the woman looked more beautiful. She bit her lower lip letting her eyes take in the sight in front of her. Regina ran her fingers through her hair fluffing and straightening, but ignored the strap of her nightgown that fell from her shoulder leaving Emma’s favorite spot to kiss on full display. “How are you?”

 

“Small talk, really? Emma, you’ve been gone for more than six months. How do you think I am? I am sad and lonely. I worry about what you are doing and where you are.”

 

“But, you can see me in your mirror. You know what I’m doing most of the time.”

 

The brunette shook her head. “No, I don’t. I tried calling so many times. Why won’t you answer?”

 

Emma’s eyebrows shot up at the question. “You do know cell phones require towers to work. The earth’s oceans aren’t well known for the best reception.”

 

A light growl escaped the queen. “What about when you aren’t on the water?”

 

“Regina, seriously, I didn’t know you had called for the longest and then by the time I did I wasn’t sure if I should return it.” Sincerity shown in tired emerald eyes. “But, I now have a mirror; we can see, and talk to each other as often as you wish.”

 

A single tear marked olive skin. “What made you realize I would want to speak to you after all this time?”

“Dorian saw you in the mirror. That night I saw you even despite you disappearing seconds later.”

 

As regal as ever, she slipped out of the sheets and stalked to her mirror. “You should not have needed me to know that. I had all but given up that you still wanted me after...well after.”

 

Emma placed her hand on the mirror inviting Regina to do the same. “I will always want you in my life even though that feeling may not be mutual.”

 

Worry scrunched Regina’s brow. “What do you mean?”

 

The blonde sighed. “What do you know about my time away?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Emma's issues stay unresolved. Emma's downward descent into the Underworld is becoming a real possibility.

  
  


She wanted to be thrilled to see her favorite blonde--what a foolhardy sentiment. Part of her soul danced and sang with the knowledge that Emma reached out to her. After all this time thinking that the one she loved the most would never return to her, a tanner and healthier blonde smiled at her through the looking glass. Her sleepiness gave way to irritation and the blonde’s assumptions “Emma, I don’t understand. Why would I refuse you? Hook kidnapped you. Whatever happened…”

 

Emma rubbed her hands down her face in frustration. “My husband took me on a trip. It wasn’t against my will at first.” Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up to meet Regina’s anguished face. “We were celebrating, and then everything became so strange. At first, I didn’t notice. But, the longer we were gone, the weaker I felt. He kept getting more possessive and controlling. I can’t explain it. He was a totally different man than the one I married.” 

 

She shrugged again. “I never tried to escape, but then again I didn’t know I needed to. If it weren’t for Ursula, I would be dead right now.”  

 

Cocking her head to the side, Regina tried to understand the distress coming from the woman, “She asked about you.” 

 

Emma’s tan skin flushed white. “You’ve spoken to her. Then, you know about my little girl.” 

 

Green eyes searched her lover for any sign of rejection or disgust yet only found confused sadness. Regina remained silent.  Emma blew out a breath and squeezed her eyes closed. “If she didn’t tell you that, did she at least tell you about the debt I owe Hades? I swear I didn’t get to negotiate. I wasn’t even conscious when they made the decision without me.”

 

Chocolate darkened into inky blackness. “Hades only deals in lives. What could he possibly want from you?” The demand fell from plump lips. Regina swallowed back tears as her instincts told her the real reason Emma had failed to commit to their love. 

 

Not a word answered.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her regal voice cracked.

 

Emma shook her head seeing rejection and pain. Rigid posture and a scowl that turned her beautiful face into an angry mask. The Evil Queen disappeared seconds after revealing herself within her brokenhearted lover. 

 

“You were afraid to tell me.” Breaking apart--her voice quivering, the mayor wrapped her arms around her tiny frame reminding the blonde of the queen’s fragility. 

 

“What have I ever done for you to be afraid of me.”

 

“For you, Reggie. I was afraid for you. What if I came back into your life full throttle and at the end of the year I had to give myself over to Hades to live in the Underworld? I couldn’t do that to you. You have sacrificed and lost so much for everyone. As much as I love you, I couldn’t do that, not to you.” Emma’s feeble word hurt as much as they were true.

 

“It should have been my choice.” She glared at the blonde and pointed. “Why is it that every Charming I know wants to rob me of my choices?” With an angry swipe of her hand, she ended their connection. 

  
  


*****

  
  


Sleep failed to come. Emma stretched her tired body before sliding into a comfortable set of warm-ups and trudging to the galley.

 

Ben sat alone at the breakfast bar typing on his laptop. “Ah, just the woman I wanted to see.”

 

“Why does that make me nervous?” She shot back.

 

He grinned. “Don’t be. I wanted to ask one last favor before we celebrate the remainder of my life.”

 

She walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. “You need a top up?”

 

“No.”  He pulled out the chair next to him and patted the seat. “I take it your conversation didn’t go well.”

 

She dumped a few packets of sugar in and stirred quietly chewing on her lip while trying to formulate a way to describe the clusterfuck that was their conversation.  “She resents the fact that I didn’t tell her and allow her to decide whether or not we could be together for the little time I had.”

 

“God. Are you sure you didn’t fall in love with my ex-wife?” He turned the laptop so that she could read the screen. “I’m sure that she will be just as pissed off at me once she finds out that I knew I was dying and didn’t allow her the chance to take care of me. I’m not so sure her new husband would appreciate it, but then again I don’t know that it would bother him that much either.” Crestfallen, Ben’s eyes told the whole sordid story. His ex-business partner and ex-wife found happiness that didn’t include him in the picture.

 

“You named me as the executrix of your will. Why would you do that?”

 

Ben shrugged. “You will be better able to dole out my possession to those that I want to have them than any lawyer. You know who and what I value. I can’t allow a lawyer to do that for me. They won’t see it as I do.”

 

The blonde shook her head at him. “I didn’t sign on for this, but you are right. You don’t have anyone else. Please tell me you left me a list.” 

 

“When I pass, go live in my loft in New York. Open the safe. The leather notebook has detailed instructions on what to do with my things. The lawyers can deal with the money, but my possession you have to handle.”

 

Her eyes traced the worry lines on his face. He had aged years in a matter of weeks. “You don’t have much longer, do you?”

 

“Fraid not.”

 

She closed the lid on the computer. “So, have you decided on what our last group activity is going to be?”

 

He smirked. “I knew this one before we started.”

 

She read the devilish grin and new she wouldn’t like the plan. “Does this have anything to do with why we’ve turned northward?”

 

“You could say that. When we reach the shores of Washington state, I will tell you what I have planned. “

 

A chill ran through her bones as his words echoed Killian’s a little too closely, but unlike her husband, Ben made no real demands of her. She rolled her eyes. “There aren’t many people that I would put up with this secrecy from, but if it makes you happy, I will wait.”

  
  


*****

 

Sticky residue stuck to her palm when she pushed the door open. Her lips pressed into a line as her stomach churned. The foul stench of rancid beer mixed with stale sweat. Her eyes scanned through the smokey room. Regina hated the place, but the Rabbit Hole tended to cater to anyone in need of drowning sorrows. She knew Ursula liked to sit in a booth in the back nursing drink after drink until someone finally caught her attention or she lost consciousness whichever came first. 

 

Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she stepped over the peanut shells on the floor mixed with spilled drinks. “You really should go to Aesop’s Tables instead. This place sinks to a whole new low every time I enter.” She slipped into the booth opposite her old friend.

 

The sea-bitch snorted. “What did you expect? When Grumpy and Dopey managed to raise funds to take over this place no one believed they would manage to keep the doors open, yet somehow they have.”

 

“True. But, I have to wonder how long the building will stay standing. I also have to wonder whether the health inspector gets bribed in free beer. Neither seems to comprehend the concept of maintenance. Or, sanitization for that matter” Her regal sneer caused the darker woman to laugh heartily.

 

“I’d forgotten how much of a curmudgeon you could be.”

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “I prefer HBIC. It has a better ring to it.”

 

“True, but you are more of a sourpuss these days. And, I believe you leave the actual ruling to others.”

 

Regina raised a well-manicured eyebrow. “I must admit that I question that decision frequently.” 

 

“You said you had spoken to Emma.”

 

The brunette’s mouth made a hard line as she bit back a remark that wouldn’t help her cause. “Yes. She said a few things. Troubling things.” Her eyes lost focus as she stared across the table into the crowd. “You didn’t tell me that she was doomed to spend eternity with Hades.”

 

Ursula sipped her margarita before answering her oldest frenemy. “The Savior has always been resourceful. I had hoped she could find a solution. She shouldn’t have to die because her husband came back from the underworld as a contaminated being. Over time, he bent to the will of that malevolent streak.”

 

The brunette observed the other witch weighing her words before asking what the question she feared. “What happened to Emma’s daughter?”

 

Blackness swirled in the woman’s eyes. “Are you sure you want me to tell you about her?”

 

“Yes.” Seeing the look on the sea-witch’s face, an overwhelming sense of foreboding crawled up her spine.

 

“What have you read about the land of Mu?”

 

“It’s the land of corrupt magic. Even the dark one could not stand its shores for long.”

 

“Emma had carried the baby for eight months by the time they arrived. It’s father, no longer, human.”

 

Tossing back a shot, Ursula struggled to find the correct words. “I guess the best I can say is that there is a fine line between angels and demons. It doesn’t take much for divine beauty to become a contaminated monstrosity.”

 

Regina’s head and heart reeled. “Gods, Emma never said a word.”

 

“How could she? Who admits to birthing a demon?”

 

*****

 

Five days passed with the slow surety of an elephant leaving Emma feeling empty. Regina’s mirror remained empty--it appeared her love had made her choice. With one last glance at the blank mirror, Emma pulled the door open and joined the men at the breakfast table.

“I know I said Washington, but my strength is failing. I want us to do one last jump together.” Ben’s eyes glittered with excitement.

 

Dorian slowly nodded. “If that’s your wish, I will fling my body for one more plane for you.”

 

Emma barely listened as each of the crew agreed with their friend. “Ben, I hate to be a downer, but I don’t know that with my headspace if leaping out of a plane is a good idea.”

 

He squeezed her shoulder. “Why don’t you come along for the ride? You can assist us out the door and then meet up with on the ground.”

 

She nodded, her eyes avoiding everyone else’s at the table. Her stomach clenched thinking about what Ben had planned. She owed an answer to Hades within the next couple of months. If she followed through, he might be waiting at the end of it. Her choice forced by a friend’s final wishes. She hated her circumstance; Hades had ruined everything with his demand. 

 

A few hours later the group rattled in the back of a PAC750 with the engines drowning out any attempt at talking. Emma sat between Dorian and Ben, her two pillars grounding her in the here and now. Since her fight with Regina, nightmares plagued her sleep. Fatigue and self-reproach overwhelmed her mind. Sitting between the two, she wondered who would care once Ben died? What would it hurt to give in to Hades? She’d already broken Regina’s heart. Waiting for the last few months before traveling to the underworld only postponed the inevitable.

 

Dorian bumped his shoulder with hers startling her from the downward spiral. “Goldilocks, shit your altitude.” 

 

The upward curl to his lips didn’t hide the worried darkness swirling in his irises. “It’s too early to throw in the towel.”

 

“Ok. It’s time.” The pilot barked from his seat. “18,000 feet.”

 

The men closest to the hatch threw it open causing the wind to whistle into the cargo hold. Emma’s ears popped from the pressure change as her hair flew wildly around her. She watched the men plunge through the door one at a time. Dorian, second to the last to leap, saluted her before tucking his head and knees then falling outward in a smooth, well-practiced move.

 

Ben stood and then paused at the door. “See you on the flip side.” He grinned at her as he fell backward into the sunlight. Blood spattered, feathers burst around his suit his body haphazardly fell. 

 

Fear welled. Stunned, she stared out at his falling figure feeling helpless. 5 solid seconds and his body still hung loosely. She checked the hold for a chute and found none. She tossed her jacket on the bench behind her then launched her body into the blue abyss. A solid wall of air slammed against her muscles forcing her body to arch like a bow. Air raked against her bare skin peeling her lips back into a dry sneer. Centering her vision on Ben, she pulled her arms and legs tight making her body into a spear aiming straight for the man free-falling. Her goggles bit into the skin of her cheeks until her body smacked full force into his spinning them. She wove her arms through the straps of his pack before pulling the ripcord.

 

A harsh jolt yanked her shoulders as the chute unfurled above them. She freed one arm as she coiled her legs around his torso. HIs head lulled to the side, red rivulets leaked from his nose. From her position, she couldn’t determine if he lived. 

 

Hearing the crashing waves to her right, she turned her eyes downward, in tandem the two drifted too far overland nearing the pier end of the strand. 

 

Seconds ticked by as she debated whether or not the canvas slowed their descent enough. Their combined weight probably exceeded its capacity. She maneuvered her body over his. She grabbed ahold of his steering straps. She pulled and tugged forcing them away from the crowds toward the sand and waves. Her best hope would hurt but could save them both.

 

As she neared the white water crashing beneath them, she let go.

 

Plummeting like a rock into the breaking waves, they rolled her toward shore. Struggling against the current she pushed her feet into the sandy bottom and stood seeing Ben caught in the current. She charged down the beach toward him.

 

She scooped him up by wrapping a hand around his harness and dragging the waterlogged mass to shore. She toppled onto her knees in the sand next to his limp body. She popped his chin strap loose and pulled his helmet from his head. She hated seeing the blood pooling in his glassy eyes.

 

Emma felt the god appear but chose to ignore his presence. Part of her felt like the direction of her thoughts might have summoned him. But, she hoped he came for Ben.

 

“Miss Swan, he’s gone.”

 

Using her wet hand to wipe away smeared blood, she then closed his eyes. “I can see that. He didn’t want to die in a hospital bed. He would have liked that  he died because a vulture’s flight path made them collide.” She suddenly realized tears ran down her face as she noticed her friend’s face, for the first time in ages, wasn’t wracked with pain. She let out a watery laugh that mutated into a sob. “He had an odd sense of humor. He would consider death by vulture a fitting end.”

 

“It’s my lucky day. I get two souls when I thought I’d come to collect only one.” 

 

Emma shook her head. “I’m afraid not, I have 52 days left until I have to meet your demand. I still have obligations to handle.”

 

She felt his rage boiling under the surface though her eyes traveled over the glum faces of the men trudging her way. Only Dorian, he gave her a toothy grin. She suspected he had charmed his way into the beds of many men and women with that one look. It curdled the contents of her stomach, the way he looked through her straight to Hades.

 

“Come, Miss Swan, we had an arrangement.”

 

Takesh, having landed further down the beach, dropped his pack and ran toward her. Emma blinked stunned as he barrelled past where the god stood unobserved.

 

“Have you called 911?” Roger asked from behind her.

 

“Sorry, I was too busy trying to see if he was still breathing,” she remarked hotly. The man always treated her like an incompetent child.

 

“It isn’t like you could save him.”

 

Anger unleashed. “No one can save him you asshat. He died seconds after jumping. He hit a bird. Look at his nose. He hemorrhaged the whole way down. He had cancer and would have been dead in days anyway. Do you really think this man wants a bunch of yahoos to perform heroics to batter his corpse any further than it already has been?” Throwing her weight into the man, she shoved him into the chest of another. “If he had wanted to die that way he would have put himself in hospice awhile back.”

 

Growling and gnashing her teeth, tears slid down her nose. She turned her back to the confused group, then stomped over to the incoming tide. Ignoring the less than subtle stares, she crouched and washed some of the sand from her jeans.

 

“Swan, you should come too.” Hades insistent voice rang in her ears. The commanding nature forced her to her feet, her body responding without her will.

 

“I don’t think so.” Dorian’s sure voice rang out. “I have a counter off. I hope both of you will be agreeable.


End file.
